A’s roasted for gifting Miguel Cabrera a $90 bottle of wine
The Oakland Athletics did not have the most thoughtful gift for Miguel Cabrera.
The 40-year-old Cabrera is on his own version of what Yankees fans once observed with legendary closer Mariano Rivera: a farewell tour around MLB stadiums for his final season where his former foes honor him with a round of applause and a token present for their years of outstanding play.
Along the way, the Guardians gave Cabrera a guitar honoring Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Reds gave him a custom baseball bat with their team logo on it as well as Cabrara’s Tigers’ and the Yankees annoyed some of their own fan base by presenting him with a painting of him hitting a game-tying home run off of Rivera, after fouling two balls off his own leg, in 2013.
The A’s, however, are not going to be remembered for a magnanimous gesture.
Thursday night, Cabrera received a bottle of Caymus 2020 Sabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, which as discovered by occasional CBS Sports contributor Danny Vietti, retails for $90.
Cabrera spent three months in an alcohol treatment program after the 2009 season, and was arrested for DUI in 2011.
“I never played drunk, but there were times where I was very tired or my body just felt lazy,” Cabrera said after completing his treatment program. “I don’t feel that way anymore.”
When Cabrera received the bottle of wine from the A’s, he held it up, grinned and pretended to drink from it as he walked towards the Tigers’ dugout.
Social media users roasted the A’s for their choice of gift.
“Um, aside from it being a cheap gift to a retiring player, Miguel Cabrera is a recovering alcoholic and spent months in a treatment center for it. Why are the A’s giving him wine?” asked “Locked On Yankees” host Stacey Gotsulias.
“Someone in the A’s PR department had to run to Total Wine when they forgot they had to get a gift for Miguel Cabrera. This weird farewell tour thing MLB has adopted since Mariano Rivera got one has become funny,” tweeted WPBF sports anchor Yianni Kourakis.
Cabrera has 510 career home runs and was a World Series champion on the 2003 Marlins.